Promising qualifying session for the Fantic Racing Lino Sonego Team at the Spanish GP. The Belgian talent narrowly missed out on pole position by just 77 thousandths. Canet will start seventh after a harmless late-session crash.

Both Fantic Racing Lino Sonego riders secured direct access to Q2 during Friday’s Practice session, with Barry Baltus clocking the second-fastest time and Aron Canet finishing sixth. Saturday’s opening session was dedicated to race pace testing, and the lap times from both riders were very encouraging, with Canet looking particularly sharp.

In Q2, Barry Baltus claimed fourth place with a lap of 1’39.935, just 77 thousandths off pole position, meaning he will start tomorrow’s race meaning he will lead the second row going into tomorrow’s race. For Aron Canet, Q2 proved trickier than expected. He was unable to piece together the perfect lap and suffered a small crash during his final flying lap, preventing him from improving on his 1'40.151, which puts him seventh on the grid. Nevertheless, both Fantic riders have shown strong race pace throughout the weekend, setting the stage for a competitive race tomorrow.

Aron Canet:

“It’s been a positive day even though we won't be starting from the very front. We'll line up seventh, but the key will be to stay focused, manage the tires, and we’ll definitely have our chances. It’s going to be a long race and we can aim for a strong result.”

Barry Baltus:

“I’m really happy with today’s qualifying. We’re not on the front row, but we’re really close. We are working very well together, and we’re consistently among the fastest, which is what counts. We’re fully focused on tomorrow’s race — we know our potential and we want to make the most of it.”

Roberto Locatelli, Fantic Racing Lino Sonego Team Manager:

“Fantastic qualifying from Barry Baltus — he showed once again his great speed here at Jerez, just as he did during pre-season testing. It was a tougher session for Aron, who, for various reasons, wasn’t able to put together the perfect lap. However, he showed excellent race pace this morning in FP2, which gives us confidence heading into tomorrow’s race.”